Unite’s GHA industrial members to protest at Europort and No.6, as further disputes loom

Unite industrial members at the Gibraltar Health Authority [GHA], including domestics and labourers, will protest outside the Health Ministry and No.6 Convent Place this week as a continuation of their ongoing picket outside St Bernard’s Hospital.

A strike over pay and conditions commenced outside the hospital at 8am on Friday morning and will continue until 7.59am this coming Friday.

Workers are demanding improved counteroffers and progress on unresolved disputes, as negotiations with the GHA remain conditional and unresolved.

The workers on strike will protest outside of the Health Ministry at Europort on Tuesday at midday and then outside No.6 Convent Place on Thursday at 10am, after which they will end the first period of strike action.

“Our members remain resolute in the pursuit of their claim and will escalate their call for an improved counteroffer to the Health Ministry on Tuesday and then to No.6 on Thursday,” said Stuart Davies, National Officer for Unite Gibraltar

“The GHA have repeated that they are available to resume dialogue with the union; however those discussions are conditional on the offer made not being improved and the GHA not tabling a fresh proposal to resolve the dispute.”

He added that Unite remains open to negotiations and the preference is always to resolve issues without having to resort to action, but that the strike was unavoidable in this claim.

In addition, two more strikes by Unite the Union members will start next week when the GHA and ERS Catering Departments and also the Care Agency Therapy Team start industrial action on Monday morning.

Mr Davies said that there is growing discontent across the union’s members in the health and care sectors over long-standing issues that have not been resolved.

“These are disputes that are eminently resolvable, but our members have been forced to take the step of embarking on strike action due to the lack of progress on their issues,” said Mr Davies.

“Continued dialogue is key to the resolution of the dispute, but those negotiations must be without the conditions placed on those talks by the GHA.”

Last week, the GHA said it regretted the action by Unite’s industrial members and said it believed it was engaged in constructive dialogue with the Union that had already resolved a number of longstanding issues.

But it said that despite “significant concessions”, it had been unable to reach agreement with the union on a claim for an additional allowance of 10% of basic pay.

A spokesperson for No.6 Convent Place told the Chronicle that Health Minister Gemma Arias Vasquez, who is currently away from Gibraltar, is due to meet the workers on Friday morning.

Separately, the spokesperson said discussions were under way to resolve the matters being raised by Unite members at the catering departments and the Care Agency before next week’s planned industrial action.

“We hope to be able to resolve before Monday,” the spokesperson said.